Throughout 2018, we will be encouraging Europeans to discover and engage with their history, identity and traditions. Look out for a number of events taking place across Europe to celebrate the past, present and future of our shared culture.

This is the second of 6 newsletters which will continue to bring you all relevant highlights and opportunities as the year progresses. Don’t forget to share it with friends and colleagues who may be interested!

Under the microscope

From creating digital archives to helping preserve priceless artefacts, research and innovation (R&I) is contributing to make cultural heritage more accessible to people across Europe. R&I can nurture smart and technologically advanced solutions to the problems we face in trying to protect our heritage.

For this reason, R&I is a major theme of the year. 'Science for heritage: research, innovation, science and technology for the benefit of heritage' is one of the ten European initiatives that will build the year's legacy.

The High Level Innovation and Cultural Heritage Conference will take place on 20 March 2018 in Brussels to launch the R&I-themed events and activities within the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The conference will showcase how the most promising innovations benefit from support by European policies and funds, and how they interact with contemporary European society.

Find out more

Photo: Mauro Bottaro, "Launch of European Year of Cultural Heritage in Belgium"

The year was launched at the European Culture Forum in Milan on 7 December 2017.  Watch the video.

Since then, a number of interesting events have taken place across Europe to kick off the year. These included launch events in Dublin and Brussels, the Torch Initiative 2018 in the Netherlands, and the openings of Valetta and Leeuwarden-Friesland as joint European Capitals of Culture 2018.

More events are taking place across Europe over the coming months:

• Thematic industrial heritage months – March, across Europe
• Historic Days 2018 – 10^th March, Copenhagen, Denmark
• A place at the royal table – 15^th March, Warsaw, Poland
• ArtLab Territories, Culture, Innovation – 23^rd May, Milan, Italy
• Interpret Europe conference: Heritage and identity – 23^rd March, Kőszeg, Hungary

Check out other upcoming events on the European Year of Cultural Heritage website.

Can’t make it to these events? Follow all the action on Twitter using the hashtag

Enjoy your heritage!

Visit local and European heritage sites, discover traditions, attend European Year of Cultural Heritage events and spread the word.

Post about it!

The year is being promoted on social media through diverse competitions and activities. During the launch event in Milan, over 400 000 people were reached through the Creative Europe and European Youth Facebook pages. Tweets published during the Milan event generated nearly 500 000 impressions and 3000 likes! A #EuropeForCulture photo competition was also launched on Instagram. Running until 15 January, the contest aimed to encourage people living in one of the Creative Europe countries to capture Europe’s traditions in the festive season. Five lucky winners got vouchers for cultural events.

Follow all the discussions and activities using #EuropeForCulture.

Label your project!

Are you organising an event on cultural heritage? The European Year of Cultural Heritage label (logo, slogan and hashtag) is available to promote related activities, events and projects taking place until 31 December 2018.

If your event contributes to the celebration, then you can use the label – find out how.

With our weather systems becoming more volatile and global events becoming more unpredictable, the question of how to protect our cultural heritage from destruction is an important one.

This is the theme for a new study, commissioned by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, and to be launched at the European Civil Protection Forum taking place 5-6 March in Brussels.

Cultural heritage is one of the main sectors supported through the Creative Europe programme and one of the most represented among the projects selected for financing so far. Between 2014 and 2017, nearly EUR 27 million was dedicated to heritage-related projects.

In the occasion of the year, we have produced a compilation gathering 15 outstanding Creative Europe-funded cooperation projects in the field of cultural heritage. Have a look and get inspired by the variety of actions in place!

The publication is available on the European Year of Cultural Heritage website

Remnants of our religious history are scattered throughout Europe, but what were these temples and theatres like when they were first built? A Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions funded project, led by expert Angela Bellia, uses newly developed technologies to study the reconstruction of acoustics in cultic theatres from the ancient Greek world.

The #Ode2Joy Challenge is a social media initiative launched by Europa Nostra and its President, Maestro Plácido Domingo, to celebrate Europe’s cultural heritage throughout the year.

Participants, either individually or as a group, are invited to create a video of their own performance or interpretation of Beethoven & Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”, in connection to a heritage site that matters to them and posting it on social media.

The community for schools in Europe, eTwinning, is celebrating the year by rewarding teachers and school staff involved in European cultural heritage projects. Winning teachers will be awarded at a special celebration of cultural heritage taking place during the Austrian EU Presidency in December 2018.

The European Year of Cultural Heritage offers a number of opportunities for your activities, projects or research to receive support from the EU. In each newsletter, we will gather the best chances to become involved with the events and activities taking place.

The Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO) is starting a scheme offering political internships to explain what museums mean beyond their public face. Politicians and other political stakeholders are invited to museums throughout Europe for internships introducing them to the different areas of the museums’ work. Whether they’re handling objects, loaning them to other organisations, or guiding school children through the museum, hands on teamwork is the basis of this initiative!

Find out more

The "Europe for Citizens" programme aims to contribute to citizens' understanding of the history and diversity of the EU. It aims to enable increased engagement and participation, and raise awareness of remembrance, common history and value. Funded by the programme, the "European Remembrance" call for proposals is open to projects that aim to raise awareness of these themes.

The deadline for applications is 1 March 2018. Read more about the call.

Find relevant information on funding opportunities and application procedures.